What it Takes to Fly
by Nobee27
Summary: Dr. Eggman has had enough, and with a new inescapable invention he's out for his final revenge. There's only one girl who slips away... but that's easy enough to fix... right?
1. Falling

**Chapter 1: Falling**

The world collapses around me, groaning and shrieking. A massive heat and pressure bear down on me, crushing me, breaking me. Pain roars across my skin. I gasp for air but find none. Red flashes behind my eyes. I try desperately to scream. The pain roars around me, a ring of red, a ring of black.

This is… death...?

No, I can't...! I h…ave to…

To…

It… the pressure. It's gone.

A breath of wind caresses my face and billows through my hair, soft clothing waves around me. I feel the sun... I take a deep breath: fresh, cool air fills my lungs. I slowly open my eyes to the sunlight.

White clouds gleam against a bright eternity of blue sky, an expanse that welcomes me from wherever I look. Everywhere, everywhere, there is only sky. I find myself smiling.

_A dream, I must be dreaming…_

An exhilarating freedom buoys my heart, like a red balloon soaring skyward. I turn and run, a smooth wooden deck beneath my feet. The playful zephyr tugs at my pajamas, encouraging me to run faster—the tempo of my beating footsteps races to keep up. I laugh, so free, so weightless.

The clouds drift so close above my head. I jump, trying to catch the glowing mist in my outstretched arms, but come back down with nothing. _Almost…_ The wind rushes around me, stronger now. With its eager encouragement at my back I run again, faster, pushing off the boards with my toes at each step. Energy courses through my veins as I crouch, leap, fly! The air parts around me, cool moisture enveloping me in weightlessness. Mist trails from my fingertips as I drop lightly back down, and for a moment I hold my own little cloud before it fades with the breeze.

Suddenly something catches at me, a distant Power drawing at my edges like a faint call of my name. I turn my head to find it, following the gentle tug at my core to the edge of the worn deck, marked only by a thin railing. The feeling urges me forward again, to the very edge, the boundary between me and the open sky. I glide to the railing, my hands unconsciously running over the smooth wood of the runner. A railing…?

I look around once more, suddenly recognizing where I've been all along: a ship. I turn and gaze across the misty deck, the railing on the other side vague through the clouds and the blue expanse beyond. My eyes follow the boundary into the distance, catching on a point just off the center of the ship's length. There, from each side of the ship unfold massive wings, each a gleaming white that dissipates into bright green-tinted feather-tips. I turn away from the railing and step toward the beating wings, but the feeling tugs again, insistent, reminding me of its presence. It's gentle still, but stronger—urging me to go beyond the railing.

What… is this feeling, this Power? Where is it coming from?

I look out into the sky, trying to locate the source. _Where are you...?_

The Power draws my head down in answer.

My breath catches in my throat and my chest tightens with fear. _There… all the way… down there… _Shivers race along my body, a force as tangible as the touch of freezing fingertips. I tighten my hold on the railing until my hands ache. I can't stop, I look down… and _down_… and _down_…

_A nightmare!_

The wind gusts, gaining a sharpness that raises goose bumps on my arms. The world below, beneath the clouds… so far that my wide eyes blur the colors and shapes in a dizzying haze of vertigo. The pull gets stronger, no longer gentle. It calls achingly for me, a siren's wail, its intent to throw me down.

I stumble back from the edge but it drags me forward again – a chain tight around my waist, anchored somewhere deep in my chest. Thick black clouds rise from the world below, rushing up past the ship. The dark mass spreads across the open blue, dousing the sun in an instant. A dark shape expands within the storm, a blurred malignant presence. Buried and heavy among the clouds, it looms across the sky, endless...

The world goes black. My blood runs cold. My body tenses, emotions rushing through me. My pulse thunders in my ears, screaming at me to run, but my limbs are frozen in place. Biting winds rise to grip and shove me. The Power from below restrains itself no longer, dragging my feet from the rough deck. My hair whips across my face. I wrap my arms around the railing, the only solid thing in my blind world. The rain hisses across the deck a split second before it pounds into me, drenching and instant. Stinging hail welts bruises on my uncovered arms, clattering from the sky. A jagged crackle of electricity roars through the air, so close, right at me...!

I gasp, jolting myself from senselessness. The winds tear into me from every direction, each gust screaming as it fights for any piece of me it can grab. I'm falling! My body convulses as I reach for anything solid - anything to stop me, to save me. But there's nothing, nothing, no! I desperately wrap my arms around myself, to hold me in, back, away from here. Through the overpowering rush of air I realize that I'm screaming, a shriek ripping through my throat and from my lips in ragged bursts.

Lightning connects the sky and earth, encircling me with its path. Its energy ripples through my body, blinding, deafening, burning, hurtling me through the sky. I fight to stay conscious, glimpsing in the instant of glaring light the ground as it rushes towards me, closer, closer… _so close!_ My stomach roils with fear and I tense, gripping my head tightly with my hands. _Stop! No! It's only a dream!_

_Wake up__! __Let me wake up__!_

_No! __No! No! _The wind tosses me through the air.

Please stop, help me! I can't stop, I can't stop!

I can't close my eyes. The wind forces them open—forces the air into my lungs so hard that I can't breathe, my screams choke in my throat. The barraging needle-sharp sting of hail fades to an encompassing ache as my body grows numb. My tears join the rain, streaming from my eyes and distorting the already dim world. No...!

_I can't stop! I'm going to die…!_

Another flash lights the sky, but it doesn't fade.

. . .

The Guardian sits lazily on the cool stone steps leading up to a large pyramidal altar. He slowly looks up into the wide sky, stifling a yawn as he idly considers taking a nap in the warmth of the beaming summer sun. '_Perfect weather for it_.' He leans back and relaxes on the time-worn steps, closing his eyes and folding his arms behind his head.

A gust of wind steals the sun-given warmth. The Guardian opens his eyes with annoyance to the clear blue sky as it fades to gray. He blinks, brows furrowing as he stands to watch heavy clouds circle out of the heavens, riled by the gusts of wind rushing up from the very ground—out of nowhere. The sky darkens to a sudden dusk. A frown shapes the Guardian's mouth into a heavy line, the hair rising on his arms despite himself. He tears his gaze away from the sky, turning and bounding up the steps to the wide platform at the altar's peak.

The Guardian gazes at his charge, his dark stare unblinking in its glow. Before him a large emerald floats steadily above its stone rest, nearly his height and thrice his width. He disregards the storm as it builds in strength, scarcely noticing the hail and sleet pelting down from the baleful sky. Power shifts in the emerald's faceted depths—it bursts out, a brilliant column of green light into the dark clouds above. The Guardian's gaze follows the beam into the sky, searching the heavens for the source of this disturbance. His frown grows deeper as a shape plummets through the clouds and slowly drifts into the column of light, becoming visible only as a tumbling mass of clothing, hair, and limbs. His fists tighten with distaste.

'_Who wants my emerald this time?_ '

But he pauses, a slight spark of surprise crossing his features. "That looks like a human…"

Lightning crashes through the sky, blinding and instant. He blinks to clear his vision, quickly noting as the human's fall begins to slow. It seems nearly weightless by the time it reaches the altar, settling on emerald's surface with a gentle grace.

"A girl?" The Guardian steps closer, only once, curious despite himself.

After a moment the girl stirs, brushing the emerald beneath her before rubbing her face as she struggles to sit up. She mumbles to herself, too quietly for him to hear. The sharp, panicked emotions fade slowly from her countenance to be replaced by a faint relieved smile.

But the smile dies on her lips. The emerald's light beams up from beneath her, blinding her as she tries to determine her surroundings. The Guardian's dark eyes harden, his irritation growing as this human continues to sit helplessly on his charge, but his frown twitches as tears roll down her face.

Discovering the source of light to be beneath her, the girl stumbles, rising to her knees. Seeming to move almost by some will other than her own, her hands move forward, disembodied, and fall slowly onto the emerald before her, one beside the other. Its glow dims instantly at her touch, and the Guardian jerks forward. Before he can reach it the emerald flares again, brighter than before. The girl screams as the light encompasses her, her figure completely dissipating in a power that knifes up through the storm above.


	2. Nightmare

**Chapter 2 : Nightmare**

I brush my hands over the surface beneath me—solid, safe, so unlike the air. Taking a deep breath, I push myself up until I can sit, struggling to regain my senses. Safe...

"Just a dream. It was just a dream."

Warm sunlight glows through my eyelids and I rub them, hard. I smile and take a deep breath before opening my eyes to the bright light, trying to push away the dark tendrils of nightmare and fear, forcefully slowing my racing heart. I blink and squint through the light, struggling to adjust to the brilliant glare.

It almost looks... _green_. I blink again slowly. Wait, this isn't...

Tears prick in my eyes as the fear rises again. Where am I? I stumble forward onto my knees. The surface I had mistaken for my bed is smooth and hard beneath me. A drop of water drips from my hair and glides down my cheek, falling onto the shoulder of my sodden pajamas. I try to block the light with my hand, and realize that its source is _beneath_ me. A familiar Power rises to surround me, coming from the surface below.

_No...!_

My heart jerks painfully in my trembling body as the Power calls for my hands—they rise smoothly into the air, against my will. I grit my teeth with effort but cannot even move my fingers. The traitorous hands drop slowly to rest, side by side, on the gleaming surface before me.

Suddenly the glow darkens, the Power building in an instant—the surface warms beneath my palms. I flinch and close my eyes. The light flares again, so brilliantly that it pierces my skin. Energy pulses through my hands, spiraling up and through me. It reverberates in my bones, rushing in my ears, burning in my blood, my lungs. My scream ripples with its power, higher and higher until my throat is gone, my face, my hands, my body dissipating in its light until every piece of me is gone...

. . .

A floor of worn stone catches me in a gruff embrace, its cold seeping into the uncovered skin of my arms and legs, making me shiver. Rolling slowly, I rest my cheek against it for a moment before forcing myself up and staggering to my feet. I blink, the world dim and out of focus. I shake my head and blink again, the faint patterned lines of the stone floor slowly swim into clarity between the shudders of my breath.

_Where_...?

The faint tang of sea salt and the sweet, warm scent of summer brushes past me on a gentle breeze. I cautiously raise my gaze. In the distance my eyes catch the waving treetops and the brightening sky, but then are drawn to a large jewel before me on the stone platform. Just my height, cut like a diamond, the deep green stone floats above a simple altar, rotating slowly as though with the breeze. The deep glow within it, however, suggests otherwise. I shiver and suddenly know - this stone is the source of the pull, the Power that called me here.

_This is too real to be a dream._

Suddenly a creature rushes out from behind the stone, its dark eyes sparking. Short red fur covers it completely except for a tan muzzle and a white crescent shape on its chest. Long spikes hang down from its head nearly like dreadlocks, swinging with its quick steps, and a short crooked tail points behind it. It wears only shoes and gloves as clothing, with two spikes rising threateningly from its knuckles underneath the padded gloves on each hand. A jolt of fear goes through me as it charges closer, but it suddenly pauses. I meet its deep violet eyes as they widen with something like shock, as though it is as surprised to see me as I am to see it.

"What - who are you?" it asks, almost incredulously, the anger nearly fading from its expression. I shake my head in disbelief, though I half expected it to be able to speak. No, not_ it - him_, the creature is definitely masculine. I struggle to answer, finally managing to rediscover my mouth.

"I-I, I'm..." my voice shakes. I pause and take a breath to steady myself, but suddenly my mind is blank. I struggle vainly to pull anything out of the blurred jumble of my memories, fighting to even remember where I've come from. I try to think back, but this moment stands forlornly in a spotlight at the front of my mind, surrounded only by a dim mist of fragmented memories. Suddenly a name jumps out from the confusion and I grab it before it can dart away.

"_Brooke_. My name is Brooke," I finally say, smiling with relief. I dare to meet his gaze again, discovering an incredulous look to be fighting with the impatient frown for possession of his face. My voice wavers. "Who are you...?"

"I am Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of the Master Emerald."

I glance behind him at the large green stone, the source of the Power—the Master Emerald? Wait, an echidna... isn't that an animal? I look back to him as the frown wrestles the incredulity into the ground and settles firmly across his features. He continues as though there had not been a pause.

"Protecting the Emerald is my sole charge -_ the __purpose__ to my life._ Understand this and answer: Where did you come from and what did you do to the Master Emerald?" his deep voice gains a serious edge, ringed darkly with anger and suspicion.

"W-what do you mean?" I tremble and cross my arms, unconsciously taking a step backward. I duck my head from his gaze to the safety of the ground. Two shoes rest on the stone beneath me, my feet shifting timidly within them. My gaze follows the dusty gray legs up to knee-length black shorts and past them to a long green shirt patterned with thick, curving white stripes. I take a sharp breath. Where did my pajamas go...? What happened to my skin? I tug at the long shirt, only to find my hands in thin gloves patterned with green and white triangles.

Knuckles clears his throat.

I close my eyes for a moment and open them again. Nothing changes. What... is happening to me? I sway for a moment but quickly regain my balance. "Sorry..." I slowly look up again a dizzying sensation washing over me. "I'm not quite sure what's happening here. Where is this? I mean, where are we?"

At the back of my mind I notice Knuckles resist the urge to tap his foot on the stone floor. With a slight huff of impatience, he answers. "We're on Angel Island." The force of anger and suspicion in his voice eases slightly. "Who exactly are you... Brooke? What are you doing here? Did you just... _use_ the Master Emerald?"

"I..." I sway again, and put a hand up to my forehead, trying to hold it still. "There was..."

"Are... you okay?" I force my gaze back up to the red echidna, finding something almost like concern starting a fight with the impatience and anger for a place in his expression.

"I don't know..." I say softly, mumbling to myself. "Am I?" I stare at my changed hands, then slowly shift to look at the Master Emerald. Knuckles turns to follow my gaze. My legs shake, and a heavily uncertain feeling comes over me. Tears brim in my eyes and I feel suddenly weak. "_Is_ this a dream?" I search the depths of the Emerald desperately. "What did you do to me...?"

I shiver and sway again. Suddenly there's a disconnect. With a dizzying sensation I feel my body collapse onto the ground as my thoughts fall dark. The world fades swiftly away.

. . .

Knuckles the Echidna jumps and turns towards the girl. He hesitantly steps forward and crouches down beside her. "What...?" He slowly reaches out and rolls the girl onto her back, regarding her tired face with surprise. For a moment his expression clears, the suspicion gone in the face of this helpless figure. The Guardian glances curiously at the Master Emerald before standing and taking a step back, his face settling into a frown out of habit.

The echidna glances between the girl and the Emerald for a long moment before stepping forward and cautiously gathering the girl up in his arms. He sighs and turns to the stairs that lead down from the tall altar platform, his steps slow. As the distance between the Guardian and the Emerald grows, his pace increases with each step of the high stairway. The echidna is running by the time he passes under the cover of the trees that surround the altar's clearing. For a moment he slows and pauses in their shadows, keenly aware of the Emerald behind him. The girl makes a quiet sound and he glances down, his face softening for a moment, but then he quickly shakes his head and begins running again, careful to not look back in case the sight of the unprotected Emerald makes him change his mind.


	3. Awake

**Chapter 3: Awake**

I grip the railing as hard as I can, the grain of the wood pressing into my trembling palms. The sun tempts me away, but I duck my head over the rail and brace my feet against the deck beneath me, knowing it will not last. The darkness comes as quickly as I close my eyes, an icy chill frosting across my skin and starling a gasp of air from my lungs. The air gusts, bringing with it the weight of clouds and the damp presence that precedes rain. The warmth of tears fades along my cheeks as tension builds in the skies above. I tighten my grip even further, gritting my teeth with the helplessness of unrelenting fear.

Suddenly a crash shivers through the air. The deck crumples beneath me, the rail splintering in my hands. The pieces disintegrate away from me, my feet rip through the deck as though through paper. The wind engulfs me. I try to scream, but suddenly I cannot hear, cannot see.

I plummet into a void empty of all but darkness. The silent vibrations of another crash prickle into my skin, the groaning of wood, the booming, shrieking reverberations of a distant destruction resound through me, bringing splintered images rather than sounds, shredding me with the force of their passage as they grab and shear away pieces of me until I shatter. My scream is nothing but the echoes of distant pain.

A sound glows faintly through the nothingness. I strain to hear it with the last scattered remnants of myself. Slowly, softly, a wordless melody finds me. It gathers up what is left of me, a sweet lullaby tinged with a radiance of vibrant viridian. Tears start in my eyes and I shake my head fiercely, but it does not fade.

The sensation of falling wavers as the melody grows stronger in my ears. The fear begins to ebb. A cushion rests beneath my head, a warm blanket drapes over me and brushes against my cheek. Who is singing...? My body is too heavy to move, my eyes unable to open. The melody softens the edges of fear, tension slips from my limbs and my breathing slows into the peace of a dreamless sleep.

. . .

Silence. I slowly reach out and grip the bed beneath me, feeling again the mattress, pillow, and blanket. A dream? Was it really just a dream? I open my eyes cautiously, and allow myself to relax slightly, relieved to actually be in a bed – rather than on top of that glowing green stone... what was it that he called it? The... Master Emerald? What an odd name...

I pull the blanket back and swing my legs out from the bed, my toes touching against something below. I take a breath to sigh, smelling in the air something sweet but unfamiliar. The sigh dies halfway through. I look down—my feet rest atop the shoes I was wearing before...

I step out of bed. My bare feet slip into the shoes without any thought on my part, the fit strangely comfortable and familiar as though they have always belonged to me. I slowly lift my head and turn to face the room. A small wooden chair rests beside the bed, its warm tint reflected in the worn floor and partially open door. A light wallpaper covers the walls, and on the far side of the room I glimpse the sky through a small rounded window. I take a short step in that direction, but freeze as something moves in the corner of the room. I reluctantly allow my head to turn.

Standing before me is a slight creature, vaguely similar to Knuckles the Echidna. Its arms and legs are a dusty silver gray, and fair blonde hair just brushes its shoulders. I take a step closer, and it does the same. My head begins to spin, thoughts whirling against what I see before me. Two wings stretch out behind it on each side, their shape and structure reminding me of a dragonfly's. Its clothing is oddly familiar: a long green shirt with thick white stripes that curve down the front of its length, thin white gloves ringed at the wrist with green triangles, a pair of long black shorts, and the exact shoes I am wearing. We step closer again, a perfectly synchronized action. Fear roils in my stomach as I can no longer deny what I see. An all-too-familiar charm hangs at the center of a thin gold necklace, and when I meet its brown eyes they gleam with tears. _No..._

The creature and I take the final step towards each other. I raise my shaking hand to meet its reflection. Our tears fall.

_What has happened to me...? _

A noise comes from somewhere further into the house. I jerk my hand away from the mirror as though electrically shocked. Heart pounding, I whirl around, my eyes instantly finding the small window. I stumble forward against the wall as I scramble to open it, my fingers weak with panic. More sounds reach my ears, coming closer with each second. So slowly, the window groans open. I stick my head out and brace my arms against the sill as the excited voices echo into the room, footsteps just outside the door. I push myself out and tumble through the air.

My body meets the ground with an impact that forces the air from my lungs. Darkness flashes across my eyes. I fight it away. Every sensation slices through the curtain of nightmare, pressing further and further into reality. I'm awake. My eyes are open. I can't be awake. This can't be real.

My head aches painfully as I lunge to my feet and start running. I sprint, ragged shallow breaths, faster, faster! I can hardly see, the world blurred by tears and speed and pain. Trees and rocks rise up before me, obstacles I only just manage to dodge. I can't stop, I can't let myself stop!

If I can just run fast enough, far enough, maybe I'll find myself back, to how I should be, to where I should be... _Take me back home! I want to go... home...? _It takes several moments for my mind to reattach to my body, my legs slowing as the panic is replaced with a frightening emptiness. I stumble to my knees, my sides shaking with the effort of breathing.

I blink quickly, repeating the word to myself. _Home, home, home... home...? _The jumbled fragments of my memories once again confront me, blocking all efforts to remember anything, anyone, anywhere.

This isn't where I should be... but... where would that be? Home? Home should be a place, filled with smiling faces and memories, familiar, a place to belong... Why can't I remember? Didn't I used to have a home...?

Who... am I? I stare at my gloved palms. This is not what I am supposed to look like. I used to be... human. I don't think I am anymore...

The emptiness looms, a seemingly impossible force. It crashes towards me, overwhelming as the tide. I laugh weakly, nearly hysterical, crossing my arms tightly around myself and gripping the sides of my long shirt fiercely. _Hold on, I'm okay. It's okay._

"It's okay." I say it aloud to make it more convincing, frowning first at the weakness in my voice, and again as I pull together my thoughts. "If... if this is not what I am supposed to look like... but I can't remember who I am supposed to be... then..." Then why can't I become a new person, a new me? Maybe I'll remember as I recreate myself...? I nod suddenly, decisively, and push myself up. I shake my head again, sharply, in an attempt to clear my mind. "Y...yes. There is no need to be so afraid. No need. I'm okay..." This is not a dream, but I will be okay. Suddenly I remember the creature in the mirror, the image flashing through my mind – the strange new me.

It had... _wings_.

_Wings...?_ At the simple thought they twitch in the air, the muscles flexing in my back and shoulders. Light, firm yet flexible, I shiver as I run my hand along the faintly textured surface, more sensitive to the touch than my fingertips. Every faint breeze paints an awareness across their sheer surfaces. I struggle to find their presence strange, alien, but cannot. They belong to me in the same way that my arms do, their sensitivity and movement as natural as the rest of my body. I stretch and wave them, exploring their strength and range of motion. Could I fly with these?

I glance up at the clouds above, bright in the sun. Just as quickly I duck my head, sudden thorns of dark fear coiling in my stomach, spearing me. My eyes widen, choking flashes of darkness and the unyielding storm rage across my senses. I press my hands against my face, removing them only when the nightmare fades. No. I won't go back up there. Not now. I pull my thoughts away from the wings. Not for a very long time.

I take a step forward, but then pause and turn to look out at the trees behind me. There isn't any sign of the house that I escaped from, no sign even of my passing. Where was I? I wonder how far I ran? In the stillness my heartbeat quickens. Sounds of pursuit echo through the trees in the distance. I take a deep breath, forcibly restraining my nervous imagination.

But still... I turn again to face away from where I came. I take a deep breath and begin walking, not allowing myself to look back.

I am... Well, I'm awake. Let's see what I can do about this.


	4. Breakfast

**Chapter 4: Breakfast**

"VECTOR! VECTOR! Watch what I can do!"

"_Charmy!_ Would you be quiet for a minute! I'm trying to focus over here!"

Shouting voices jerk me out of a restless and uncomfortable sleep. I wince and shake my head, rubbing my eyes. What the...? I get to my knees and stretch sleepily, unfolding my wings from my back and spreading them wide. ...Where am I? I glance around, noting the overgrown grass beneath me and the faded green-painted brick house with a steeply sloping roof not far to my right. Ah! Now I remember.

Yesterday I wandered through the forest for several hours, and by the time I found a path and followed it out it was already getting dark. I found this house, but no one answered when I knocked on the door... so I decided to wait, around to the side... so they wouldn't see me first. I had been hoping someone would show up, but I must have fallen asleep. It's a good thing it's summer, or I would have had an even more uncomfortable night...

"Oops...!"

"CHARMY!"

"Not again..."

I slowly stand the rest of the way and take a second look at the house. Well, it certainly sounds like someone is home... and hosting a professional wrestling match. From inside the sounds of yelling and crashing blast through a nearby window, which is slightly open and high off the ground. I step closer with both caution and curiosity. The window is too high to see through even when I balance on my toes, so I jump up several feet in order to see in. I only glimpse the inside of the house: a tumble of overturned furniture, scattered papers, and a soggy pool of carpet, before my eyes are drawn to the occupants of the room.

At the center of the disaster is what appears to be a green crocodile. He dashes furiously around the room, the furniture careening and papers flying in his wake. Something tan and gooey drips from an upturned bowl on his head down his face and long nose, splattering onto the headphones and thick gold chain hanging around his neck. Keeping just out of reach is someone who looks a good amount younger, an insect of some sort, maybe a bee? Wearing a shiny black helmet and an orange vest, he appears highly entertained with only slight parts of panic and guilt flashing through his expression as he dodges the other's efforts to catch him.

Finally the crocodile brakes to a stop, panting, his face a bright red, and opens his mouth wide. "CHARMY! Get over here!" he roars. The bee only laughs and flies farther out of reach before waiting for the crocodile to either continue the chase or fall over.

In the pause I realize there is another person in the room. Leaning against the wall at the back is what I can only guess to be some kind of a lizard. A short yellow horn points from just between sharply observant eyes, and despite being a rather lovely color of fuchsia, he's obviously male. He's been keeping a safe distance from the disaster, and watches the current standoff with both amusement and exasperation. It's clear he's used to this sort of thing happening.

...Wait a minute. Suddenly I recognize the soft humming sound in the air. I've been up here for over a minute now. I slowly push myself away from the wall and drop lightly onto the grass. A small smile starts on my face, and instead of fading it grows stronger. I...

_ I was flying!_

Before I can think further, a huge crash comes from inside and I hear a door slam open over at the front of the house. I peek around the corner to see Charmy and the crocodile running around on the path. The fuchsia lizard follows them out more slowly and stands near the door, still watching, though now with less amusement and more exasperation. Charmy flies up into the top branches of a tree a short distance from the house, and the crocodile follows him, attempting to climb after him with little success. Finally giving up, he falls back to the base of the tree and bellows up at Charmy. The heat of his anger seems to be waning, and Charmy, who had been enjoying the crocodile's failure at tree-climbing, appears to be taking his demands to come down a bit more seriously.

I close my eyes and sigh. Suddenly I realize just how exhausted I am. My body is trembling from hunger and lack of sleep, and probably shock as well. I look over at the odd trio again and bite my lip, uneasy and embarrassed, but unable to deny that I need their help. And I've been spying on them. That makes me both creepy and needy. I take a deep breath and brace myself before slipping quietly around the corner and pausing a step or two behind the lizard, who chuckles quietly to himself as he watches the others. I open my mouth but can't bring myself to say anything. The blood rushes to my cheeks as I hesitate another long moment, and finally duck my head and quickly turn away before he can see me. Maybe I'll be able to find some berries or something in the forest...?

"Hey."

I flinch and take another deep and shaky breath before turning slowly and unwillingly back around. My face burns so hot that I'm surprised that my hair hasn't caught on fire. I wince and raise my head to meet the lizard's sharp gaze. I'm uncomfortably aware that I've just spent a day and night out in the forest. I must look like a mess.

"Just where did you come from?" He blinks once, as though with surprise.

I struggle for several long seconds to find an intelligent answer before shaking my head in defeat. Instead I wave weakly toward the lizard's companions. "Do they do this often?"

"Uh, yeah." He pretends to not notice the change of subject and turns back to the others.

"...What's the stuff on his face?" The crocodile finally seems calm enough that Charmy ventures back down the tree, attempting to put more guilt into his expression as he goes.

"Oatmeal."

My stomach growls, as though by command. "Sorry." The lizard glances at me from the corner of his eye. My fading blush returns in full force. I drop my gaze and wish that I wasn't reminded of how long I've been without food. I've spent at least a full day wandering around in those trees, and I have no idea how long I'd been sleeping before that... I'm so hungry that the oatmeal dripping down the crocodile's face is beginning to look good... ewww.

"Um..." I force myself to look up again. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is… uh, Brooke." I had to think again before I remembered my name. That's pretty bad.

"Hello, Brooke. I'm Espio the Chameleon." Espio's voice is low and quiet. He looks over at me again, but I can tell his thoughts are elsewhere.

"So... I can tell that the bee is Charmy, and the crocodile… is he Vector?" I ask softly, waving faintly in the others' direction and wondering if the lizard is even paying attention.

"That would be correct. Brooke, I was wondering if you would like to join us for breakfast?" Now his gaze is direct, the emotion behind his yellow-gold eyes almost... cocky.

"Um," I take a step back in alarm, though that's exactly what I wanted. "I... I couldn't..."

"It wouldn't be a problem, I have a feeling we're going to be making a warm batch of pancakes in just a few minutes. If you don't want to accept free food, I'd be willing to make a trade. You answer some questions, and get pancakes in return...?" In response to my slightly incredulous look he continues. "We run a detective agency, Vector, Charmy and I. If for no other reason, would you satisfy a detective's curiosity in return for some... _entertaining_ company and a good meal?"

I can't help but laugh. The sound surprises me, and I realize I don't actually know when the last time I laughed was. "Okay, I think I can go with that..."

"Alright then," Espio smiles," just let me inform the others that we have a guest for breakfast."

I lean back against the wall to let him know I'm not going anywhere, and he darts over to where the others are attempting to reconcile their argument at the base of the tree. I sigh again as my blush finally burns down, and press my hands against the wall behind me. I glance back up only when the conversation between the three detectives ends and they move back toward the house, stopping in a loose semicircle in front of me.

"Ah, hello," I say quickly. "My name is Brooke."

"Hello, uh, Brooke!" Charmy jumps in first, not the least bit shy and a good deal hyper on top of it. I take the chance to really look at him a moment, seeing just how young he is. He must be under ten, still just a kid. How did he become part of a detective agency?

The crocodile pushes Charmy out from in front of me and steps into his place. "Hey, I'm Vector." His voice is an odd mixture of a low and gravelly voice and a high squeaky one. He still has the bowl on his head and the oatmeal is dripping slowly off the end of his long nose onto the grass below. His chain necklace is covered with oatmeal, and so are his headphones. "I'm the head of the Chaotix Detective Agency." He grins and nods his head, ignoring the bowl as it topples off his head and rolls out into the path behind him, trying valiantly to make himself as impressive as possible despite the circumstances.

"...Nice to meet you." I try my best to hide a smile as the oatmeal continues to drip. Vector's face reddens and Espio and Charmy laugh behind his back.

"Okay, that's enough of that! I'm going inside to clean up, and if either of you so much as _think_ the word _oatmeal_," Vector turns to eye the two detectives behind him with as much of a threatening glare as can be possibly mustered in such a sticky state," they'll be eating their breakfast of cold slop off the living room carpet while the rest of us are eating pancakes." He stomps toward the door to the house but pauses and turns back to me with a grin, rubbing his oat-bedecked chin with one hand. "And just so you know, my chocolate-chip pancakes are delicious."


End file.
